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September 28, 2009

I just had to write this down because tonight while my boys are having a campout in a tent upstairs I heard the following:

Keaton ~ "Andrew, did you use the big boy potty today?"

Andrew ~ "Yep! I try to go pooy in there."

Keaton ~ "Good boy Andrew, I am so proud of you! If you keep doing that like I do every day then mom and dad will love you even more. Do you want to do that?"

Andrew~ "Yep!"

Keaton~ "If you start going potty in the big boy toliet then mom will buy you some batman underwear and then you don't have to wear the elmo diapers. Do you want to do that?"

Andrew ~ "Yep, good night Keaton!

I just had to write it down while they were talking. I love sitting back and listen to them talk to each other after I have put them to bed. They are so loving to each other. They are such good friends. I am so thankful that they have each other.This evening we pitched a tent in our playroom for the boys to have their "campout." Since they couldn't sleep over at grandma and grandpa's we told them we would do something fun for them so we put the tent up, with the help of grandpa Quinn, some halloween lights strung on top and some music, they are not out like a light. I will take some pictures tomorrow and post it.As for Owen we are breaking him of the swaddling. Lance started it last night and he screamed while I was gone at the firside, but he only cried for 15 minutes and tonight I am happy to report that he only cried for about 10 minutes. He is doing much better at nights that way. We are happy and I think he will be happy too once he sleeps through the night. That means I can move him into his own room. Hooorrraaayyy!

Last night we had a special fireside for the Relief Society sisters in our ward about the Internet. We learned how to download a free firewall to install on our computers at home. Learning how to be wise and control what comes into our homes. There are so many scary things out there and my boys are starting to become curious as to why mom and dad use the computer. I try not to use it while they are awake but sometimes there are some things I need to do while they are in the office watching me. I am glad they are still young and don't understand or know what is really out there.Keaton is already planning games on the pbskids website or the disney website. I let him play as long as I can watch or as long as I am in the office where I can monitor them.So for now, I am thankful I am not having to teach my children about how to avoid certain things on the computer. But it was a very good education and training about how to be smart. I am a little nervous for what challenges will come my kids way and all the influences that are out there. All I can do is train them, teach them and love them and pray that they will grow up doing what is right. But I will also control what comes into my home. If anyone is interested about all the things that were said I would be willing to send an email that they sent out to us with all the information. Our bishop gave some very inspiring advise also.You can never go astray when following the Lord. I am learning along the way.

September 23, 2009

While I was trying to put Owen down for his morning nap, I left the boys quietly watching Super Why down stairs. This usually takes me a few minutes and the boys are pretty good about not fighting, getting into our treat cupboard or anything else suspicious. So while I was putting Owen to bed I heard the boys giggling really hard down stairs. Now when my boys giggle like they did this morning I know they are up to no good. Owen finally went to sleep so I ran down stairs to see what was so funny. Well this is what I saw~

Keaton and Andrew, both with markers in their hands telling me that they didn't do it. So what's a mom suppose to do? Yell, scream, I don't know. I can't tell you how furious I was. I thought I taught my boys better than that. This is not the first time this has happened at our home, and it probably won't be the last but this threw my morning for a loop. I put both of my boys in seperate bedrooms for time out and then I frantically called my dad, because he is the pro at getting any stain out. He reccommended hairspray. So I grabbed my bottle and started spraying away. About a half hour later it started to come out, thank goodness.So for punishment I told them no WII or playing with friends. They did not like that so hopefully they learned their lesson.Where was my rescue aid society when I needed them? I vividly remember one hot day in Arizona when we got a call from my sister in law Shauna. She was crying because her kids had spilled finger nail polish all over their carpet and took some scissors to their bedspread. My mother-in-law hurry and jumped in the car and came to her aid, singing R E S C U E, rescue aid society, off the Rescuers Down Under. Remember that cute show? Well that is what we were that day. Now, where was mine when I needed one? Oh well. Thanks to everyone who emailed me, called or left messages for me on how to take that stuff out. It was no fun, but it finally came out.

September 20, 2009

This past week I took both of the boys to see the dentist for the very first time. I was alittle nervous about how they would actually do and this week I am happy to report that they did awesome. They were so excited. My sister's father-n-law, who is also in our ward is a dentist. So we thought we would try it out. Both boys let them clean their teeth in exchange for a water fight with the little water hose that they use to rinse out your mouth. They both earned new toothbrushes and a special toy from the treasure chest.Keaton passed with flying colors. No cavities and Dr. Laney even commented on how well we does with his brushing and flossing. Andrew was another story. Over the past 3-4 weeks we have noticed two teeth in particular that had dark spots on them. I told Lance and he told me to wait it out so I was the good wife and I did that. Well they had gotten progressivly worse and I am sad to report that Andrew needs two pulpotomys done. What is that you ask? Well they are pretty much root canals. Yep, I said it root canals. So on Tuesday we have to take him into a peridontist to see what they can do. I guess sometimes they go to the hospital to do the procedure so they can put them out completely so they have no recolection of what happened to them so there is no bad taste for the dentist in their mouth. We will wait to find out this week. Thank goodness we don't have dental insurance. :) I think Andrew has inheritated my bad tooth enamel. I hope he has better luck with his teeth than I did with mine. We will keep you all posted. Wish us luck! My poor Andrew!

September 15, 2009

This month as been really crazy. Can I just list the reasons why I am so tired. I am sorry if I haven't answered the phone, responded back to emails, etc.. I am going to tell you my reasonings right now. Ready?

1. OwenAs much as I love this little guy, he has driven me crazy with sleepless days and nights. Is it any wonder why I am so drained also? I think he wants the constant attention. If I am not holding him then he wakes up. I think I have spoiled this one too much. I have been swaddling him at night and now every other hour he is breaking through it and during the night I can hear rrriiiippppp! Yep, he broke out again. So we are trying to get him used to sleeping without it. He does better on his tummy than his back. But lately he has discovered how to roll over and he freaks out, thus causing sleepless days and nights. Does it ever end? I can't remember from past children. I am open for any suggestions up to this point. I am letting him cry it out but seriously an hour later he is still going strong. HELP!!!!!!

2.Andrew has discovered that there are better things to do than to take naps. He has started to request my presense until he falls alseep. First of all, its impossible since I have a baby that is up 24/, and second of all I have to try and get Keaton down as well. All he wants is treats. I think he has tooth decay in two of his teeth. We will see when he goes to the dentist on Thursday. He is a cuddle bug lately. I love it! But it can be too much at times.

3.Keaton has started preschool again. He has been loving every minute of it. He always has the itch for a 4 wheeler ride. He had his very own and the other day I spent about a half hour just trying to figure out how to start with no such luck. You should have seen the look on his face when he knew it wasn't going to start. So sad. He belongs outside. His bike is his new hobby and he loves exploring. I have to keep a close watch on him, if I don't he will wonder off and I have no idea where he has gone to.

4.Lance. As much as I love this man of mine, I can't stand it when he is away. He is gone quite abit for work and he warned me last night, " Just consider me gone for the next two weeks. You aren't going to see me and I won't be around to help much." That was pretty bold. Pre-Paid Legal has launched a new website he swears is going to make us millionaires. He has been working really hard to provide for our family and he is doing a great job. He is just gone a lot and that has been hard for me. He has found confidence and loves the people on his team he is working with. Thanks to all of you who take care of my husband while he is away.

5. MeI am in love with my children! They are my life and I couldn't imagine my life without them. All I need is a break. Just a short one and one where I can relax, read and just sleep. Could it really happen? Mabye one day. But for now, I will put up with the fighting, the screaming, a baby crying and an absent husband. I am in the process of finding myself. So these blogs may become few in numbers. I am finding time for me and the things I remember enjoying at one time in my life. I am losing the weight I have gained over the past 4 years of having kids one after another. It has not been easy but I am happy to report, it is coming off and I am loving the smaller sizes that come with shedding this extra weight. Thanks for taking care of us. You all know who you are. Thanks for loving us and letting us into your homes for breaks. It has been so nice.I am ok. Don't worry. Just a hard day so I had to vent to someone. If you made it this far, you must be a good friend. Thanks for listening.

September 11, 2009

I decided to start this back up again. I have neglected it for some time and thought it would be fun to bring back flash back fridays again, just to remember the good ole days.This picture was taken my first year at Ricks College. I was loving life, having fun with new friends and I met the guy of my dreams. Here we are in this picture.

This picture was taken at a bridge somewhere around Rexburg where all the students would go to jump off a bridge into the river. I went with my roommates, and FHE brothers. We had a lot of great times together. We did everything together. That is when I met Johnnie. A guy I dated pretty seriously for quite some time. I had an amazing group of friends. I had so much fun at Ricks College. After attending both BYU Provo and Ricks College, I would have to say Ricks College was the better experience. And when everyone says that BYU is the Lord's University. Well that is where I beg to differ. Sorry all of you BYU Provo fans out there. It is just the plain, honest truth. I wouldn't trade those days for anything. Thanks to all of my friends who made that a great time in my life.

September 4, 2009

We just got in today from our trip to Portland. It was long, it was fast and it was too much time spent in the car, but nonetheless, we had a good time. Our boys were such troopers. They did fantastic! I couldn't have asked for better. Owen, was a charm to everyone who saw him and Keaton and Andrew, well, everyone kept asking us "How old are your twins?" We stopped taking the time to explain that they weren't so we would just say they are 4, since Andrew could pass for a four year old literally.We left on Wednseday morning. The drive was great and we made frequent stops to let the boys get out and stretch their legs and get all the wiggles out.

We made one great stop to Multinomah Falls, just outside of Portland. Have you ever been there? It is amazing! I highly reccomend it next time you are in the area.It was beautiful. It is just off the highway and this huge waterfall just cascades down the moutain. There were a lot of trails that lead up to the mountain so we went out and went hiking. The place was swarming with tourists and I can understand why. Such an amazing place and it was a good way to cool off.

We went to pick up Grandma and Grandpa Snyder from the airport and stayed with them for the remainder of our stay. It was so nice to be with them. We have been able to see them quite abit this year and my boys can't get enough of Grandpa's stories. They love them so much! Thanks for being such a bright spot of our vacation! We love you! Grandma had what Keaton called a "magical purse." She had pretty much everything in there to enteratain my boys, from pears to balloons, she was so prepared for little ones. I could really learn from that. Next time mom, you will be impressed.

The whole reason for our trip to Portland was to attend the funeral for my sister-in laws' father Bryon, who passed away after a 3 year battle with Lou Gerigs Disease, aka ALS. It was a sad funeral. Toni, his wife, spoke at his funeral as well did all the other kids. It was his wish for his funeral and also that each one of his kids play a piano piece of his favorite songs. It was a very emotional funeral.Before the funeral began we had some time to kill so we let out boys loose on a baseball field and we just played with grandma and grandpa. We had so much fun. Thanks for making that special for my boys. They are still talking about that.

His graveside service was held in probably the most beautiful cemetary I have ever been in. It overlooked the whole city of Portland and since he loved the bagpipes, a man was standing up on the hillside playing music in the background. My boys were so intrigued by that. We attemped to get our family picture taken, but as always you can never get all your children to smile and be happy for pictures. It was Andrew's turn this time. They were so hot, tired and hungry, that they didn't want any more pictures taken of them. So this was good as we got.

Our last and final day we decided to start out early and take them to the Portland Zoo. That is another must see if you are there. They have the BEST zoo I have ever been too. There were so many exhibits, shows and animals, that we were sorry we didn't get to see it all. They had trains that had mulitple courses to run and tours to give, but we just didn't have time. Next time we will do that. My boys loved all the animals. They were all out and active in this zoo, not much like the one we have here in Boise. It is the sorriest zoo I have ever been too. That must be why kids are free on Thursdays ha? To get more people to come. Here are some fun pictures of our visit.

It is so nice to get out of town for a few days, but even better to be back at home and in our own beds. We had a great time and we can't wait to go back to spend time on the beach.

September 1, 2009

Owen had his 4 month check up today. Can you believe it? My babe is growing fast. These past 4 months have seemed to past so fast and yet it has all stood still. I hesitate to take my babies to the doctors. What is a well visit anyways? Just a reason for doctors to get more money? To tell us what we already know about our children? Oh well, I was ok with it today but I was hesitant on the immunnizations. I have held back alittle bit with him. He just got his 2 months ones done today and I will hold off for the others alittle while longer.These were his statistics today~

Weight: 15 lbs. 13.5 oz. {65%}Lenght: 27'' {96%}Head: 43.3 cm {75%}

He is doing pretty well. He is off his acid reflux medication. We will see if there is anymore need for it. The doctor said to wait a few weeks for the heartburn to come back if it does indeed come back. Keeping our fingers crossed.

This is Owen in a nutshell. What we have discovered about him so far:

~He loves to be involved in the crowd.~Hates to be alone.~Loves it when Keaton and Andrew talk and play with him. {My most favoirte to watch}~He WILL NOT take naps during the day!~He goes to bed at 8 pm. and is up every two hours after midnight. Again, doesn't sleep~He still has to be swaddled at night~He LOVES to eat.~He loves to have a blanket or burp cloth up to his face while trying to go to sleep~He LOVES bathtime~He loves music ~He has great hand/eye cordination

And most of all he loves to cuddle with me. I love this part about him I especially love the way he smells after a bath too. Oh so sweet! We love you Owen. Our family is complete with you in it. We are so glad you are healthy and happy. Now just go to sleep!

Tomorrow we leave for Portland. We are hoping for a fun time. Keep your finger crossed that they will behave. I have been busy, running non-stop the past couple of days. Today we went swimming, cleaned house, did laundry, packed and prepared a meal for one of the ladies I visit teach. Now my boys are in bed and I can sit and read.